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Hangen wins boys' Mid-Wach B race

By Matt Stewart, Correspondent

Updated:
10/28/2012 06:53:03 AM EDT

MARLBORO -- The Nashoba Regional boys had a sensational season last year that saw the team reach the state championship, and after a nearly perfect dual meet season this year the Chieftains are hoping for a similar result.

Boys' X-C

But first the Chieftains had to take care of business at Saturday's league championship. Nashoba's depth shined, as it placed all seven varsity runners in the top 11 and cruised to the Mid-Wach B championship at Ghiloni Park.

Nashoba captured first with 25 points, followed by Westboro (64 points), while host Marlboro came in a distant third (100 points).

"Our focus is not just the leagues, but really the district meet, and hopefully getting back to states," Nashoba coach Steve Beckwith said. "That's going to be really tough to do. We've got great competition out there. Today I was impressed with my runners' performance, and also the top runners from Westboro who challenged us."

A pair of upperclassmen secured top honors with relative ease. Senior Forrest Hangen continues his sensational career by claiming first overall in Mid-Wach B with a time of 16:52.8 on the 3.1-mile course. Junior Mark Puleo is making great strides, finishing within striking distance in second place (17:07.0).

"It's a nice stepping stone going from dual meets, to leagues, to districts," Hangen said. "The league meet is a good milestone to see how we are doing and what we need to improve on, and how we are going to get to the next level.

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Sophomore up-and-comer Adam Heislein took fifth overall (17:36.7), and then it was a sea of green shortly afterward. Jacob Hangen (8th, 17:45.5), John Atkinson (9th, 17:53.5), Matthew Boelens (10th, 18:06.5) and Zach Honig (11th, 18:22.2) rounded out the unbelievably strong second half of the Chieftain lineup. With the exception of Boelens, all of the final four finishers are sophomores.

DIVISION C

Lunenburg

Upsets are not a common occurrence in cross country, as performers tend to have pretty consistent showings.

Lunenburg, however, may have pulled off the biggest turnaround in the Mid-Wach championships in some time. The Blue Knights lost every league meet in the dual-meet slate, but on Saturday they beat every team except Bromfield to earn second overall (79 points) in stunning fashion.

Suprisingly, the team's star, David Albertini, underperformed, but still took third place (18:04.34). Scott Miller (12th, 19:22.38) and Steve Hoffman (13th, 19:27.12) provided a one-two punch, then Antoine Trudel (21st, 20:06.65) and Jon Hudson (30th, 20:48.78) clinched the shocking performance.

"We went 0-10 this season," Lunenburg coach Pete McCauliff said. "Then we came in second today; that's a pretty good improvement. They've been working hard, and Albertini was the only kid on the team last year. Miller and Hoffman are eighth-graders and it's phenomenal to have them in the top 15."

Oakmont

The Spartans had a strong showing from their top runners, which helped the team lock up fourth (88 points). Brendon Miller (7th, 18:48.34) and George Condon (8th, 19:05.58) earned a trip to the awards podium, while Henry Condon (14th, 19:34.51) broke into the top 15. Chris Hill was another notable Oakmont performance, as he finished 23rd (20:14.06).

"The kids ran really well today," Oakmont coach Ken Jepson said. "This is the first time we ran this course, we usually run at Tahanto. Our performance was a nice finish after a great dual-meet season where we went 8-2."

"Our front runner, Trevor Raux, didn't run because of a sprained ankle," Gardner coach Dave Beauregard said. "We had a couple of other injuries, but that's part of the sport. Overall we put our best effort out there, and some of the kids had personal bests."

DIVISION A

North Middlesex

Two of the best teams in the state are in Mid-Wach A, therefore some of the top runners in the meet are in a class of their own. North Middlesex sophomore Chris Skelly proved he can run with the top dogs as he pulled off fourth overall (17:01.7). Senior Bobby Johnston ran well, finishing 22nd (18:26.6), which helped the Patriots to fourth overall (102 points).

"Last week we did an invitational and Skelly was feeling a little flat," North Middlesex coach Heidi Delaney said. "This week he was feeling a lot better. His performance was awesome, getting into the top four as a sophomore."

Fitchburg

On the bright side, the Red Raiders edged rival Leominster for fifth place (133 points). However its top runners will be facing a tough challenge if they hope to qualify for states in two weeks. Senior Christian Capoccia finished 14th (17:38.6), while junior Jason Bugarin placed 17th (17:56.9). Bugarin missed states by a narrow margin last season.

"It's going to be very challenging for them to make the state meet," Fitchburg coach Chris Woods said. "With Nashoba, St. John's, Shrewsbury and Wachusett, one of those teams do not get in automatically, and it will be hard for anyone to get the last seven spots. Last year Bugarin missed it by two-tenths of a second."

Leominster

Freshman Mike Hutchinson has already made an impact in his young career. Saturday in his first taste of a championship meet, he placed 31st (19:10.7), which helped the Blue Devils place sixth (172 points) in the league.

"Hutchinson ran really well," Leominster coach Danielle Lussier said. "He improved upon his time and came close to a personal record. Being a freshman at a big meet like this and leading the team is a great experience for him."

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